ploded, killing or injuring severely fifteen of the men. The whole of the poor fellows were dreadfully scalded and otherwise severely injured. The boiler, which weighed seven tons, was torn from its bed, and blown into the air to the height of 60 feet, and the machinery, with burning coals, &c., scattered in every direction. Eight of the unfortunate men were killed, four dying after a few hours of agony, the others after more prolonged suffering; among them was the engineer, to whose culpable inattention the disaster was proved to be owing.

9. ROBBER SHOT.-The house of a farmer at Twinstead, Essex, having been attempted by thieves, the police were instructed to watch the premises. About 12 o'clock at night they observed three men come into the garden at the back of the house. Two of them got in at the kitchen window, leaving one on the watch outside. This man the police endeavoured to secure; but he got away. In the mean while a desperate contest was going on inside. A labourer slept on the premises, and being disturbed by the thieves, grappled with them. The noise aroused the farmer, who thus relates the sequel:-"I lighted a candle, and taking my gun with me, I went down stairs, and into my dining-room, where I saw my man, John Flower, struggling with a man upon the floor. I don't know whether it was the deceased or not. I did not know him. I then threatened the man, if he did not keep quiet, I would shoot him. He then snatched hold of the top of the barrel. The gun was cocked. I cocked it as soon as I heard the noise. In my struggle to keep the gun it went off, when my man Flower called

out, "Oh, I am shot!" He then let the man go, who immediately got up, snatched the gun from me, and struck me with it, and running out of the room, struck police-constable Jones with it in the passage, who was struggling there with another man. I did not then know that the party who was struggling with my man had been shot. I found a great quantity of blood in the room and passage. Jones, seeing the man beating Flower, who he knew was wounded, released the man with whom he was struggling in the passage, came to Flower's assistance, and both the men then escaped."

The poor man Flower was so much injured, that it was found necessary to amputate his arm. The three robbers were soon captured; one of them was found to be so severely shot in the arm, that he died in the hospital in a few days. Another had still on his wrist the handcuff, which the policeman Jones had succeeded in forcing on him when he was compelled to leave him to go to the assistance of Flower.

10. WRECK OF A NATIVE SHIP WITH FEARFUL LOSS OF LIFE.-A native vessel, the Atiet Rohoman, belonging to the Bebee of Cannanore, bound to Bombay from Jedda and Mocha, with between 300 and 400 pilgrims and a crew of 75 Lascars, and a quantity of treasure, coffee, and salt on board, made the island of Kenery, near Bombay, and stood in for the harbour. Before sunset the lighthouse was seen. Signals were made, which were answered from the outer light-ship. Shortly afterwards a very heavy squall came on, and the Nacoda, finding his vessel drifting in shallow water, let go his anchors. In the middle of the

night, the ship labouring and rolling very much, lost her rudder; soon after this the cable parted and she drove on to the island of Kenery. Daylight found the bottom of the ship gone, and the remains of the wreck driven up alongside the fort-walls; all the boats being broken or washed away. Many of the passengers stepped from the vessel on to the walls, but numbers were cast into the sea and drowned. The Medusa steamer, in command of Lieut. King, with two pilot-boats in tow, was immediately dispatched to Kenery to render assistance. She on the 15th returned, bringing with her about 175 persons, and treasure to the amount of half a lac of rupees. Nearly 175 of the pilgrims are missing, and have, it is to be feared, met a watery grave. 13. HER MAJESTY'S STATE BAL COSTUME.-Her Majesty gave a state ball of great magnificence. As has been the taste of the present reign, this was a "BAL COSTUME;" the period chosen for illustration being the reign of Charles the Second, of the fashion prevalent at the Restoration. It is well known how rich and becoming the dress of this period was, how many historical characters graced Charles' court, and how many portraits have been preserved in family portrait galleries and illustrated books. The result was surpassingly magnificent and truthful. The nobility and gentry who had pretensions to descent, copied the costumes of the ladies and gentlemen who decorate their galleries; those who held eminent place copied the judges, councillors, generals, and courtiers of the time; the foreign nobility represented the costume of their country at the corresponding period.

The dresses of the Lady of the

Feast and her illustrious partner are thus described by the court newsman; and the characters, dresses, and appearance of the chief guests are very minutely described in the records of fashion.

"Her Majesty's head-dress was composed of a small diamond crown placed on the top of the head, and a large emerald set in diamonds with pearl loops on the side of the head. The hair behind was plaited with pearls. The skirt of the dress was composed of rich gray watered silk, trimmed with gold and silver lace, and ornamented with bows of rose-coloured riband fastened by bouquets of diamonds. The front of the dress was open, and the under skirt was made of cloth of gold embroidered in a shawl pattern in silver, scolloped and trimmed with silver fringe. The gloves and shoes were embroidered alternately with roses and fleurs de lis in gold. Her Majesty wore on the front of the body of the dress four large pear-shaped emeralds of an immense value.

"His Royal Highness the Prince Albert was dressed in a coat of rich orange satin brocaded with gold and with a green sprig; the sleeves turned up with crimson velvet, embroidered in gold and silver, with a pink satin epaulette upon the shoulder; a baldrick of gold lace, embroidered with silver, and edged with a fringe of pink silk and silver bullion, carried the sword. The breeches were of crimson velvet, with pink satin bows and gold lace. Stockings of lavender silk. Sash of white silk and gold fringe."

Lord Campbell, the Chief Justice of England, appeared in the costume of Chief Justice Hale; the Duke of Wellington, as a fieldmarshal of the time of the Restoration; Baron Brunnow, as a Rus

sian ambassador of 1660; the American Minister, in the costume of a governor of one of the New England colonies at the same period. Col. Bigelow Lawrence represented Cecil second Lord Boltimore. The Countess Granville wore a Spanish dress of the period. The Marchioness of Breadalbane and the Baroness Brunnow were in dresses of the time of Louis Quatorze. Lady Ashburton appeared as Mad. de Sevigné, and Lady Middleton as Countess of Carlisle, temp. Charles II.

16. BALLOON ACCIDENT.-A balloon ascent took place from Batty's Hippodrome at Kensington, which caused some damage, and had nearly been attended with lamentable consequences. At 6 o'clock, the balloon, having in the car Mr. and Mrs. Graham, who are experienced aëronauts, was released from its moorings, and rose slowly; but it had not attained much altitude before it began to descend, the body of the machine struck on the point of a tall flag-staff, and a hole was torn through the silk, from which the gas escaped. Vain efforts were made by the aeronauts to descend. The balloon rose and fell, and swayed about in the boisterous wind, and finally took a northerly direction towards the Crystal Palace. The aeronauts, to avoid striking the side or roof of the building, threw out all their ballast, and thus rose just high enough to clear it. The sand-ballast made an extraordinary noise on the transept as it fell the visitors at the Exhibition wondered, but were not alarmed. The balloon drifted towards Grosvenor Gate, and thence took a new direction; crossed Piccadilly and the reservoir in the Green Park; and approached the houses lying between the park and Arlington Street. The car

lodged against the parapet of the park front of Colonel North's mansion; a gust of wind drove the balloon forwards, and coping-stones and brickwork gave way, breaking through the roof of the house. The balloon then drifted about among the stacks of chimneys, knocking off the pots; finally it became jammed between two masses of brickwork. The police quickly ascended to the roof; Mr. and Mrs. Graham had been thrown from the car, and were lying senseless on the roof. They were carried to a neighbouring surgeon's, greatly contused and lacerated, and after a time had so far recovered that they could be conveyed home. After much trouble, the police liberated the car, and conveyed it and the shattered balloon to the stationhouse.

After the sufferers had been removed to their residence, a surgeon made a minute examination. It was then discovered that Mr. Graham's breast-bone and collarbone were fractured, and that he had sustained several deep gashes on the head, but no fracture of the skull. Mrs. Graham was much cut on the left temple, and four of her teeth were knocked out.

19. SHOCKING SUICIDE IN BIRMINGHAM.-Mr. William Callum, a well-known auctioneer, and proprietor of the Cheapside Horse Repository, in Birmingham, committed suicide, under circumstances of a peculiarly shocking character. The affairs of the deceased (although he had occupied a very high position in his profession in the midland counties) had become embarrassed, and from his pressing necessities he appears to have had recourse to extensive bill transactions, which induced him to commit acts for which he was crimi

nally responsible. A check for 1000l. purporting to be signed by Sir George Chetwynd, was presented a few days ago by Mr. Callum, or sent by him-the matter is not clear-to a Birmingham bank. Soon afterwards it was discovered to be a forgery. In consequence, Mr. Suckling, the solicitor of the bank, with Mr. Glossop, Inspector of the detective police, went to Mr. Callum's house at Balsall Heath. Mr. Suckling informed Mr. Callum of his errand, conversed with him, and announced that he must give him into the custody of the inspector. Callum requested that he might be allowed to see his wife before he was taken away; and Mr. Suckling readily assented. Mrs. Callum was sent for into the drawing-room; the husband and wife sat down on the sofa; she had her arms round his neck, and they appeared to be embracing each other. The officer withdrew from the room and turned away from the distressing scene. In a few moments he was recalled by a fearful scream from the lady. On returning he found the unhappy man sitting upright on the sofa, with a vacant stare on his countenance. It appeared that while embracing his wife, and while his head was over her shoulder, he had swallowed the contents of a phial of prussic acid. Callum managed to utter "No" to his wife's statement, and could not articulate more. A surgeon was sent for; but before he could obtain any remedies, if such there were, the patient was dead-in fifteen minutes after swallowing the poison.

It appeared at the inquest, that Mr. Callum had for some time exhibited symptoms of a mind ill at ease, and he drank deeply, as a VOL. XCIII.

witness believed, to drive unpleasant thoughts from his mind; he had been straitened for money, and after his death no fewer than three writs were found upon him.

The verdict of the jury declared that he had swallowed the prussic acid while in a state of temporary insanity.

20. COAL-PIT ACCIDENT. - An

accident occurred in a coal-mine near Bristol, by which the lives of above 40 men were placed in great jeopardy; and which, though fortunately not fatal, deserves to be recorded. About 11 A.M. a cartload of coal, in ascending the shaft of the North-side pit, Bedminster, struck away the timber-work, and immediately the earth-work fell in, closing the pit, and burying alive 40 men. The attempts to rescue these unfortunates were long ineffectual. The shaft is 135 fathoms deep, and so narrow that not more than three men could work in it at one time. Fortunately, a stream of water passes through the lower level of the pit, and this would supply air sufficient to sustain life. At 9 o'clock the same evening, a communication was opened with two men in the upper workings-they were cut off from their fellow sufferers and could give no account of them. On the following morning (Friday) these two men were rescued, under circumstances of heroic exertion, for the sides of the shaft were continually falling in and threatening to bury the workmen. The two men had suffered much from foul air, and were of opinion that not one of those in the lower workings could be alive. Their brave preservers, headed by one whose name deserves to be commemorated, James North, again descended the shaft. A lengthened G

period was now passed in suspense, but at length the men returned, having been unable to accomplish their undertaking. They stated that the air was so foul it was impossible for them to carry lights, although they were able to crawl through it, and men might live in it for ten or twelve hours. North said he was sadly afraid that all the men and boys were dead, for he had managed to crawl to the mouth of the pit, where he had hallooed as loudly as he possibly could, and had also hammered on a piece of rock for ten minutes, without re

ceiving any answer. It was possible, however, that the air in the bottom vein might be purer than above, and that the men might still be imprisoned alive there. They all concurred in stating that the condition of the wall was so exceedingly dangerous that they durst not risk their lives again till it had been in some measure repaired. In the meanwhile a canvas air-shaft was passed into the pit, and air pumped into the vein by means of hose.

Several hours were thus employed, and at 11 o'clock on Saturday morning the men were communicated with, and, to the joy and astonishment of all, were reported to be alive. The pleasing intelligence was speedily conveyed to their relatives, and redoubled efforts were made to get to them; but it was not till nearly 7 o'clock in the evening that any of them were brought to the surface. The poor fellows stated that on Friday night they had abandoned all hope, and had betaken themselves to prayer. The air at times was so bad that it was with the utmost difficulty they could breathe, and but for the falls of earth, which brought some air with them, they

could not have endured it so long. The meeting of the poor fellows with their wives and families was truly affecting, and a hymn of thanksgiving for their providential deliverance was sung.

21. NEW HOSPITALS.-The opening of the new hospital of St. Mary's, Paddington, was formally celebrated by a public dinner at the London Tavern, at which the Earl of Carlisle presided. The event is one of considerable importance. Hitherto there has been no institution of the kind to serve the wants of the population spread over the wide metropolitan district westward of the St. George's and the Middlesex Hospitals. The building stands on the left of the approach to the station of the Great Western Railway through Praed Street from the Edgware Road. Prince Albert laid the foundation-stone six years ago, and about one-half of the land appropriated has been covered with the portion of the building now completed, which will accommodate about 170 of the 400 patients whom it is proposed that the perfect building shall admit.

This valuable institution, which will vie in munificence with the noblest foundations of past ages, is built entirely by voluntary contributions, of which more than 3000l. was contributed by the guests at this dinner.

On the following Wednesday (the 25th) the first stone of the City of London Hospital for Consumption, a sister institution to that at Brompton, was laid by H. R. H. Prince Albert, before a company including the Bishops of London, St. Asaph, and Oxford, the Marquis of Westminster, the Earls of Carlisle, Morton, and Hardwicke, and the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs.